I arrived at Sugarfish a bit oblivious as to how ridiculous the lines are. But luckily it was snowing and I joined the line about 10 min prior to opening and made the first round of seating. I appreciate Sugarfish as a good stop for lunch after a workout when I am still in gym clothes and want a relatively light lunch. It is essentially the fast casual version of sushi. But to wait an hour plus for a text when your table is available, I am baffled.

There was no menu and I did not take notes so unfortunately 2 months later I can’t remember what most of these were aside from the somewhat obvious. NYC is becoming awash in omakase these days and it seems that many people I talk to feel passionate about one particular place, although often it seems to be just the latest opening. I’m not sure that Sushi Zo is my favorite although I can find nothing negative to say. The fish was impeccable and service flawless. Just minor points of personal preference, such as more varied beverage choices, elsewhere.

And rounding out a week of places that it has taken me far too long to return to is Shuko. So many fantastic dishes on this menu and despite the length I never felt like it was too much. With so many similar concepts opening in NY which could conceivably become copycats, I appreciate that none feel that way. And as wacky as it still sounds, the apple pie dessert continues to be so incredibly good.

One again it took someone from out of town to get me somewhere that I have been meaning to visit since it opened. Yes I have looked for reservations a multitude of times but never far enough in advance or with the same effort that I put forth when traveling. I have clearly been missing out. Every piece was fantastic and when asked it was almost impossible to pick a favorite. But I will always remember this meal for changing my mind about uni. I keep trying to like it and just don’t, but the Japanese version I had here seemed like something else entirely and I absolutely loved it. It will be difficult to return to trying to like other inferior versions.

Le Bernardin
The City Harvest lunch menu at Le Bernardin is the best kept secret in NYC. I should probably even stop writing about it! When I’ve found myself able to have lunch in midtown in the last few months I have tried to check out some other places. And while I’ve had very good meals elsewhere I will keep returning to Le Bernardin as my absolute favorite.

Hamachi – Hamachi Tartare, Cucumber, Lemon-Citrus Emulsion
Skate – Poached Skate, Pickled Shallots, Sea Beans, Cucumber, Verjus Sauce
Pear – Slow-Roasted Pear, “Beurre Noisette” Tuile, Pear William Frozen ParfaitO Ya
I had hesitated in visiting O Ya when it first opened as the price when compared to some other similar options seemed pretty high. We opted for the shorter 18 course omakase menu which my dining companion had a few times previously and which seemed to go quite quickly for so many bites. I couldn’t take notes quickly enough as the dishes came out and unfortunately there as no menu at the end. There were some totally fantastic things and perhaps some I didn’t enjoy as much just due to personal preference and not that they were not well executed. I probably would have enjoyed this meal a bit more if sitting at the counter instead of a booth (our fault not theirs). I’m not convinced that O Ya is good enough to warrant the price hike over Shuko but I’d gladly go back (if someone else is paying)!

Not pictured, but after all of this fish, I ended the night with a stop at Nomad Bar for a hot dog.

A multitude of fantastic reviews have already been written about Shuko and as I wholeheartedly agree with all of them I won’t bother repeating what has already been said. As suggested by others we opted for the longer Kaiseki menu for the first visit. I look forward to returning to try the shorter omakase menu. Unfortunately no menu and most of the courses came so quickly that I wouldn’t have been able to keep up even if I was writing them down.